


You came in like a wave when I was feeling alright

by strawberry_pills



Series: Absolution [2]
Category: The Blacklist (US TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-27
Updated: 2020-04-27
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:41:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,391
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23881720
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/strawberry_pills/pseuds/strawberry_pills
Summary: “You found me.”He hasn't seen her for five years—not since that fateful day at the private airstrip. He had to blink to make sure his eyes weren't playing tricks on him.(A sequel to The distance between us, it sharpens me like a knife)
Relationships: Elizabeth Keen/Raymond Reddington
Series: Absolution [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1721143
Comments: 13
Kudos: 56





	You came in like a wave when I was feeling alright

**Author's Note:**

> I received some messages requesting a sequel and I've actually already written one in September last year but I couldn't think of an ending (plus I wasn't in the right headspace to write any Lizzington fic). I would recommend you read 'The distance between us, it sharpens me like a knife' first.
> 
> Title is from Fall Out Boy's song, "Sunshine Riptide"

“You found me.”

He hasn't seen her for five years—not since that fateful day at the private airstrip. He had to blink to make sure his eyes weren't playing tricks on him.

“I did, finally,” she said, feeling proud of herself. This must be how Ressler felt all those years—only if he had managed to capture the infamous Concierge of Crime.

Five years.

How ironic everything seemed. Ressler was the case agent that hunted Red for five years until their little task force was disbanded. Red eventually surrendered himself not too long after that and with him was a list of the most heinous criminals in the globe. A deal was struck, and a new task force was formed including Liz—well, she was part of the deal, wasn’t she?

_I’ll only speak with Elizabeth Keen._

Liz should’ve known that she’ll be the last person Red will talk to before he disappeared the face of the earth, leaving her to hunt the last name on the list—his real name—which Liz realized that day that she has no idea at all.

Five years.

She chased every lead, analyzed every clue, studied every pattern that could lead her to him. Five years she spent pounding every door of every bolt hole he’s ever been. It was a Herculean task and Liz had to admit that it was arduous that she almost gave up, nearly threw the towel, and move on from this. Start a new simple life with Agnes somewhere quiet.

But certain revelations required Liz to push forward.

And now here they stand, five feet apart in a hotel suite in Hong Kong.

“May I ask how you did it?”

“Because of your cologne.”

“My cologne?” Red raised an eyebrow urging her to explain it further.

Liz permitted herself a faint smile.

“A year ago, we received a tip that you were staying in a hotel in Vienna, but you were already gone by the time we arrived. Always twenty steps ahead. But I knew you just left because when I entered the bedroom, I could still smell it—that cologne of yours.”

“I knew it was yours because I could frequently smell it off you when we were on the run together.” At the mention of their time on the run, Red couldn’t help but smile—not entirely a smile but a slight tug at the corners of his lips. That time, however brief, was one of the most pleasant memories Red ever had with her. Nothing, not even Liz herself, can ever sour that memory.

Liz thought the same because their time on the run was the very reason why she decided to pursue Red.

“So, you tracked me using my cologne?” Red asked and Liz nodded in agreement.

“The scent was so specific, so unique that I realized you had it custom made. But there were thousands of custom shops out in the world, so we had to figure out how to narrow it down.”

“Samar was a big help. She told me how she had tracked you using your affinity for earth-toned colored Zegna ties. We found out that one of the main ingredients of your cologne was oud, plus including your preferences and patterns, it narrowed down our search until we came down to a handful of cologne manufacturers in Bordeaux, Düsseldorf, and Milan.”

“We put a diblock copolymer nanoparticle marker into every oud shipped to these places and then it was just a matter of waiting and surveillance,” she finished.

“Bravo, Agent Keen. Like a hungry bloodhound in search of fresh meat, you certainly outdid yourself this time,” Red proudly said which caused butterflies to flutter in Liz’s stomach.

“It wasn’t easy, Red. I had to learn a shit ton about colognes,” they both chuckled.

Red glanced behind her, fully expecting the others to come bursting in with Ressler screaming something like, “FBI! Freeze!” or “On the ground!”

When no one came, Red looked at Liz suspiciously.

"We only have twenty minutes," she explained. “They said that you giving your name before you disappeared wasn’t part of the immunity deal.”

“So they disbanded the task force,” Red finished and Liz nodded affirmatively.

“Samar went back to Mossad and Aram followed her there. Cooper became the new Attorney General while Ressler handed his resignation letter.”

“What about you?”

“A week after the task force was disbanded, I was approached by the new director of the CIA. She asked me to lead an off-the-books task force tasked on capturing you.”

“And you agreed,” Red said. He didn’t bother hiding the disappointment and anger in his tone. After all this time, he thought she’d change for the better but Red guessed that some people are way beyond the point of redemption—like him.

“No! Well, not immediately no,” Liz said defensively. “When they disbanded the task force, I was planning on resigning too. There was a job offer in Quantico—a teaching post, but something came up. Something you had to know. Please believe me, Red. I didn’t want to dive back in. I know that you hate me and I know why. God knows I’ve been paying for it ever since but Agnes… she’s been looking for you. She’s been asking about you, Red. She deeply misses you. S-she… she’s your—”

“Don’t you dare use your daughter in this—”

“Our daughter,” she corrected.

“What?”

“She’s our daughter. And I’m not using her, Red,” she continued. “She really misses you—asked me every single day when you’ll be coming home.”

_Home._

A million thoughts were speeding through Red’s mind right now, trying to make the connection but the only thing that’s surfacing was Agnes. Her bright eyes and stubby cheeks. Agnes holding his hand as he read her a bedtime story. Agnes smiling at him as she started learning how to walk. Agnes gurgling with happiness every time they watched cartoons together. Agnes… his daughter.

_Home._

“Y-You… you said… you said she’s Tom’s,” For the first time in his life, Red was beyond words. He was running his hand over his face. Liz had never seen him this distressed, not even when his life was on the line.

“I never said he was the father, Red. You were the one who assumed that, remember?” She said defensively, recalling the time she told Red she was pregnant.

“How could you do this to me?” The tone in his voice reminded Liz of that time they were at the airport when he asked her why she betrayed him.

“Red, I swear I didn’t know!” Liz took a step towards him, suddenly feeling the urge to hold him. She was afraid he might walk out of her life again. “Please believe me.”

“I don’t know if I could believe you anymore.”

 _Ouch._ That hurt. Liz took another step. They’re now standing so close; their bodies are a few inches away from each other. Liz grabbed his hand and took it as a small victory when he didn’t pull away.

“Please let me explain, Red. Can we sit down? I want to show you something.”

They both sat down with Liz sitting on the sofa while Red sat on the armchair in front of her. Liz pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to him.

The piece of paper turned out to be a polaroid picture of Agnes smiling cheekily while clutching a stuffed teddy bear to which Red now realized was the same teddy bear he bought her when Liz was still in a coma.

“Aram took that photo. We were at his apartment having a little farewell party for him and Samar but, truth be told it was a farewell party for every one of us in the task force,” Liz began. “I just got Agnes back from Scottie at that time.”

“No one in the task force knew the truth—that you’re not really Raymond Reddington. So no one suspected a thing when Aram causally said that Agnes has your eyes.”

“It’s like looking at my own reflection,” Red said a little breathless. Tears were forming in his eyes.

“When Scottie came over the following day to hand over some of Agnes’ things, I kept the glass she used and submitted it to the lab. When the envelope came, I was so anxious, but a part of me already knew what the results were going to be.”  
  
“She’s your daughter, Red. It’s the reason why I took the CIA’s offer, the reason why I never gave up looking for you for five years, the reason why I’m standing here now in front of you.”

“Was that the only reason?” Red said. He finally looked up from the photograph he was holding to stare intently at her eyes as if challenging her.

_Did you even mean it—what you said back there at the execution chamber?_

She remembered his hurried words at the airport five years ago. Recalled it vividly as if it only happened yesterday.

Liz tried to swallow but she couldn’t. _Oh shit._ There it goes again. The proverbial lump in her throat. “You know the answer to that.”

“I want to hear you say it.”

“I remember flashes of it—that night in the shipping container,” she nearly whispered. “Dr. Krilov told me that he wiped my memories for the second time. At that time, we were pressed on finding Mr. Kaplan that I put it on the back of my mind. It’s when I found out about Agnes that it occurred to me that maybe that was the memory that was removed. I told the CIA director that I needed to work out a deal with Dr. Krilov to find you.”

“Mr. Kaplan was the one who hired him again, implanted fake memories of Tom and me in a yacht to make me think he was the father. I don’t know why she did it—maybe to protect you, or me or both but it doesn’t matter because I remember some of it now.”

“I remember your hands, sliding up my waist and your lips trailing kisses along my jaw. I remember how you told me you love me and promised me that you would move heaven and hell just to exonerate me. I remember it now, Red.”

“Lizzy,” he choked out and how good it felt to hear that name from his lips again, like a prayer to the gods long forgotten.

She reached over and grasped his hand that was holding the photograph. Liz took a deep breath and finally looked up to meet his eyes—so green with tears brimming on the edges, like blades of grass dancing in an open field. Still breathtaking after all these years. “I meant what I said back then at the prison and I still do. I love you, Raymond. Please come home with me.”

Just like that, years of betrayal and resentment gone. Her absolution. But…

“I can’t,” Red pulled away. “I may be Agnes’ father but I’m also a criminal. I would only endanger you both.”

“We can work it out,” Liz pleaded. “Cooper’s the Attorney General now, he can pull up a few strings, get your immunity back on the table.”

Red shook his head. “That only worked because I have a bargaining chip before. Now I have nothing to offer them back.”

“But Red—”

“This is not the life I would want for you and Agnes—constantly looking over your shoulders. She deserves better than this—you deserve better than this.”

“Agnes deserves to know her father,” she insisted, her voice getting firmer.

“Don’t fight me on this Lizzy!” Red stood and took several steps away from her. “I love that child more than you can ever know whether she’s mine or not and it’s because I love her that I’m doing this. This is extremely difficult for me knowing that my second chance at a family is just there within my grasp and I can’t reach out and touch it!”

River of tears fell from her eyes as she took in his words. Can’t help the despair that escaped her lungs at her sobs. “What are we going to do, Red? I can’t leave you—I just can’t. I spent five years looking for you and each day you eluded me only added to the voice at the back of my head to give up. And now that I’ve found you, I’m not willing to let go—to give up without a fight!”

“Lizzy,” he sighed. Red took a few steps and closed the distance between them, pulling her to him. He pressed his nose at her temple and inhaled. The feeling of her body once again close to him and her scent—his memories never gave it justice. “I have to go.”

“Red please,” she clutched his coat closer to her in a feeble attempt to make him stay.

He slid a finger in and tilted her chin upwards, forcing her eyes to look at him. Red still felt mesmerized by those wide blue eyes that sometimes reflect a cloudless sky or a raging sea.

“I have to go,” he repeated and felt her hands clutch him tighter. “But I’ll find a way, Lizzy.”

“Promise?” Something of a hope flitted across her face.

He smiled sadly, “When have I ever broken a promise?”

Liz raised a hand to cup his cheek. Red instantly leaned on to the touch, eyes closing briefly. “Kiss me.”

When he found no trace of uncertainty, Red slowly dipped his head and captured her lips in a gentle kiss that held a tremendous amount of promise, each of them pouring their love for one another into it.

After a moment, Red reluctantly pulled back, his eyes once again brimming with tears. “I’m so sorry, Lizzy. Forgive me.”

“Red what—”

She lost consciousness the moment the butt of his gun hit the back of her neck and immediately fell into his arms. Red gently placed her on the floor and started carefully arranging the room to make it look like a fight had occurred. He took her gun and put it inside his coat along with Agnes’ polaroid photo.

When everything’s done, he knelt next to Liz and placed a featherlight kiss to her forehead.

“I love you,” he whispered before walking away.


End file.
